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Venicecalifornia

My plants are putting on lots and lots of new fruit, I am unsure as to when to decide on what to keep and what to off. I have 4 quite large pumpkins, on 4 different plants and now several new ones are appearing, I am unsure as to when its time to choose the ONES, By waiting to decide am I slowing down the growth on the large ones that are all ready there
or should I continue to wait a while. Any thoughts on this would sure be helpful. How many pumpkins should I have per plant. Thanks for any help you can offer..

7/6/2000 10:20:32 AM

Commack, NY

there are so many factors in evaluating what to keep, how many to keep, that sort of thing. you can grow one on a vine, and grow a few on a plant, or you can grow one on a plant. i've used the "go for it approach" in the past with one on a plant. one year it didnt' work out, and i lost everything. last year i got lucky, and came out unscathed. it depends on what you want and what your expectations are. it also depends on the plant you're growing. if you have a few plants, you can do one on one plant, three on another, 2 on a different one, and so on. as far as which ones to keep, well, look at the vine its on, is it a side or a main? how long is the stem? what angle is the pumpkin to the vine it's growing on? will it be easy to adjust and get perpendicularity? or will it be difficult? how much pruning will you have to do to get the other vines out of the way of this particular pumpkin? that sort of thing. by all means, if you see a female developing that you know there is no way to grow it, dont' even waste the plants energy, just pluck it before it gets anywhere. you have plenty of time to decide, were still in the middle of peak pollination time. also, see which ones are growing the fastest. sometimes the first pumpkin on the plant will not grow the fastest, sometimes it will. careful observation, and data collection of your prospective pumpkins will lead you to pumpkin prosperity!.

good growing,
scott

7/6/2000 11:07:42 AM

Venicecalifornia

Wow Scott , thank you so much for the information....I know that must have taken a lot of your time and I am very appreciative.

7/6/2000 5:42:53 PM

Connecticut, USA

Great answer...

7/6/2000 9:23:19 PM

Commack, NY

i'm a fast typer :)

7/7/2000 8:53:13 AM